Portland: Multnomah Falls

After lunch in Oregon City, we turned north and east, to drive into the Columbia River Gorge. There are a dozen waterfalls to visit as the water table confronts sharp drops in the limestone cliffs. With an eye to getting the rental car back the same day--and to preserving Dear Husband's legs for the Portland Marathon on Sunday--we chose the largest and most popular. At 620 feet high, Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon. Two million people per year park in the lots along the river, stop in the visitor center, and take the paved path to the overlook bridge. Fewer hike the winding path with 11 switchbacks over the ridge up to the observation deck. Below you can see the view looking west/downstream from partway up the path. Below that is the "Little Multnomah Falls" (not part of the official waterfall), snapped from the deck that is so high up you can't see it from the bottom, and where the water rushing noisily over the precipice to the right. Fun fact: on Labor Day 1995, a 400-ton boulder fell off the cliff face into the catchment pool, showering an unsuspecting wedding party taking photographs.

We hiked back down, ate a snack in the car, and then drove toward Portland, reaching Vista House on Crown Point just before it closed. Unfortunately, the day's warmth was rapidly rising, bringing in cold wind and clouds. I didn't even want to stand outside very long to take pictures, and the cafe had already closed, so we couldn't get warm drinks. We settled for perusing the small exhibit space, covertly observing a small band making a promotional video, and imagining how nice it would be to attend a fancy soiree on a warm night when the building could be opened to the stars.  

Once back in Portland, we returned the rental car, took the bus back to our neighborhood, and stuffed ourselves with Ethiopian food before falling into bed.